Physicians at Boston Medical Center May Now Obtain Maintenance of Certification Credit for Engaging in Quality Improvement Initiatives

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has announced that Boston Medical Center (BMC) physicians who are Board Certified by one of 21 of the 24 ABMS Member Boards participating in the Portfolio Program may now receive Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Improvement in Medical Practice (Part IV) credit for their engagement in quality improvement (QI) work at the health system. BMC – the largest safety net hospital in New England – offers comprehensive health care services to patients and families in Boston and the surrounding areas.

The BMC Portfolio Program will be available to the nearly 850 physicians practicing at the hospital and approximately 429 primary care physicians who comprise Boston HealthNet, a network affiliation of the medical center, Boston University School of Medicine, and 13 community health centers.

BMC has a longstanding commitment to QI engagement and activity among its clinical teams, including physicians, related providers and support service staff. “Our physicians have played a significant role, through care delivery as well as mentoring house staff, in BMC’s QI success,” explained James Moses, MD, MPH, BMC’s Associate Chief Quality Officer. “Participation in the Portfolio Program further demonstrates our commitment to prioritize the support of physicians who participate in QI activities and the ongoing effort to become more effective at improving the quality of care we provide to all patients.”

BMC applies the “Plan-Do-Study-Act” framework as its QI methodology, and joined the ABMS Portfolio Program to further enhance its engagement of physicians in the development and participation in QI activities. Some examples of BMC Portfolio Program QI initiatives include:

Diabetes Management: an initiative spanning sites across the Boston Accountable Care Organization to improve documentation and management of patients diagnosed with diabetes.

“The Portfolio Program continues to be well received by both healthcare organizations and their Board Certified physicians,” explained David W. Price, MD, FAAFP, FACEHP, Executive Director of the Portfolio Program. “It allows physicians working in health systems like BMC to receive MOC credit for participating in organizational QI activities that are aligned with the goals and objectives of their system, its patients and the communities they serve.”

To date, the Portfolio Program has helped engage more than 8,000 physicians in practice improvement initiatives at hospitals and health systems across the country, many showing improvement in care outcomes, and has recognized their participation with MOC-eligible credit. Since its inception, more than 1,300 quality improvement efforts have been completed by Portfolio Program participants. For more information about participation in the Portfolio Program, visit the program website.